Bob Faw: Hope for Humanity

Hope for Humanity: Seeing the Big Picture During Dark Times

Scary and sad things grab our brains’ attention intensely due to our innate Negativity Bias. From a survival standpoint that’s a great thing. However, that can easily sap hope and lead to burnout, apathy and even violence. Yet, as eminent humanist Steven Pinker demonstrates in his magnum opus, “Enlightenment Now”, humanity has been improving on almost every metric for centuries. Bob will bring a combination of facts from neuroscience, anthropology, sociology, etc., into this highly interactive session on the many factors that can bring hope to us humanists. One key concept is the need to both acknowledge hard truths (e.g., climate change, racism, etc.) and at the same time learn what has helped us improve so much so that we can apply it to help humanity get closer to a state of sustainable flourishing. In the interest of helping everyone contribute meaningfully to this guided dialogue, Bob encourages each person to bring at least one example of how humanity is doing better (not perfect, but improved) since 1900. Let’s help each other focus on positive common goals, acknowledge challenges with equanimity, and identify personal next steps that each of us can take to be even more a part of the progress that’s been happening for centuries.

Bob Faw is an author, keynote speaker, and positive change consultant who ignites passion for positive change around the world. He studies the methods for helping cultures and people transform. He’s worked with agencies such as NASA, American Red Cross, and the United Nations for 30 years. He co-presented a THRIVE workshop with PFC’s own Andy Norman at the American Humanist Conference in 2015. Bob has also been a speaker and emcee for many secular events over the last 10 years. He is the author of “Energize: Ignite Passion and Performance with User-friendly Brain Science”, which gives practical tips for individuals. Bob Faw has been a humanist for many years, and enjoys finding ways to help humanity get a bit better whenever he can.

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